


in you and I, there is a new land

by Kintsu



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mutants, Background Relationships, Drama, Gen, Transformation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-09-30 08:25:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17220389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kintsu/pseuds/Kintsu
Summary: One day You complains her back hurts, a few days later she's disappeared. As Aqours struggles through secrets - both personal and far-reaching - they get wrapped up into something bigger. All threads will lead back to the same source.Something odd is happening in Uchiura.





	1. prologue

It started like this.

Something small, a simple break and out it flowed. A simple break that would be discovered weeks in the future by an underpaid worker, who would fix it and hide it - so as not to be penalized. It would be forgotten, until it wasn’t. 

Out it flowed.

It drifted gently down the coast, tangling with fishing nets and water pipes leading inland, warping as it went. It twisted with fish, and turtles. It brushed up against boats. It slipped down streams and sewage pipes.

I said it started like this, but that isn’t exactly true. There are many threads were it could have started. It could have started with the odd fish caught that season, with the abundance of aches and pains, with the knowledge ignored in the heads of many. All of those threads would have inevitable woven their way into the tapestry - and some will - but perhaps those are less interesting to pick out of the pile.

So instead it started like this.

It started with a girl, as it often does. It started with a normal day, and a normal routine that tangled with the abnormal. It slipped down a water pipe, and it tangled with her. Tangled, perhaps mangled, but certainly changed.

Of course not at all at once - and she certainly was not the first - but what had been slow and simple in others exploded in her.

I could say she was a high schooler, an athlete, an idol. I could say she loved her family and friends. But in the end it didn’t really matter, because it didn’t matter to it. It simply did not care, it had no brain nor direction. It had no interest even if it could have. It simply came to her as it did to many others, and it passed away again. It drifted back to the sea via the drains, where it would eventually fizzle out, leaving in its wake a story. I will say though - and this does really matter - that her friends loved her.

Like I said, it could have started elsewhere and still wrapped us up in this same story.  
But it didn’t.

It started like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finally geared myself up to write something besides a oneshot. I will make no promises on an update schedule, but I'm looking forward to sharing this. It will be a challenge for me.
> 
> This prologue may be short, but I promise I will post a much longer first chapter soon. If my previous work is anything to judge by, this one will be long...
> 
> For now no ships are listed, because I don't know if I'll be able to fit anything in as the story goes. There's a lot to juggle. But if I do, I'll update tags accordingly.
> 
> Also! I have a twitter now, come join me on @narudoodles I may post some drawings and concept art as the story continues.


	2. Chapter 1

Amidst the slowly fading light in the clubroom, You stretched. And winced. 

“You okay?” Riko said, looking over from where she straightened their reference material.

You rolled her neck back and forth, she shifted her shoulders. 

“I think so. I’m pretty sure I just pulled a muscle.” She grinned and leaned back in her chair, only to sharply jerk forward again.

Chika rolled her eyes, “You’re turning into a grandma.” But despite her light tone, concern flitted across her brow. “Do you think you’re doing too much?”

You shook her head. “We haven’t been busy since we got knocked out in the semi-finals. I can handle way more than this.” She thumped her chest for emphasis, demonstrating how hardy she was. It would have been a lot more convincing if the action hadn’t clearly caused her pain.

Riko put down the booklet of sewing patterns she had been looking at. The three of them had volunteered to clean the clubroom before the semester started up again, but like all second year group efforts, it had devolved part-way through into goofing off.

“You, you should probably get it checked out. Even if we aren’t in the running for the Love Live anymore, you have a swim meet coming up right?”

You sighed, “Fine, I’ll stop by the clinic on my way home today.”

Chika and Riko exchanged glances, You had a bad habit of keeping things in. The two of them were getting better at figuring out when she was hiding problems, but You still hadn’t shown much improvement in dealing with said problems.

You for her part, had realized by now that they were keeping an eye on her. She grimaced - this time in exasperation rather than pain - and said, “I promised okay! I’ll even leave now so there’s no chance of the clinic being closed!”

You stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder, trying and failing to hide her reaction to the impact. As if to shake off the worries that were starting to collect in the room, she spun around and struck a salute.

“See you tomorrow!” 

Riko and Chika waved at her as she dashed out the door.

Chika called out to her, “Let me know if there’s anything wrong!”

“I’ll text you tonight!” You shouted back over her shoulder.

The remaining two second years watched her back disappear from view.

 

You didn’t text that night.

 

* * *

 

She also didn’t show up at practice the next day.

 

* * *

 

Or respond to any texts after that.

 

* * *

 

“Mrs. Watanabe?”

Chika knocked on the door of the house she considered to be her second childhood home. The other Aqours members stood awkwardly behind her, not sure what to do with their gym bags. After an impossibly long minute, the door creaked open to reveal an exhausted woman. She lacked the smile she usually beamed at Chika.

“Ah…” She sighed in recognition and brought a hand to her mouth. “That’s right, I didn’t tell you…”

Chika glanced nervously back at the others, “Tell me what? Is everything okay?”

“You had to…” Mrs. Watanabe trailed off, searching for something just over Chika’s head. An excuse perhaps, “had to go to the hospital… yes. That was what it was.” She firmed up. 

“I’m sorry Chika, it was a bit of a rush. Please understand that things are a bit fragile right now.”

She shut the door. 

Chika blinked, dumbfounded. She raised her hand to knock on the door - only for Dia to catch her arm. 

“Chika, she’s probably distressed...we can call later.”

“But… but.”

“Chika…”

 

* * *

 

“You would have texted me.”

Riko nodded and laid her head on her balcony. She hummed in agreement.

“I mean, she was fine when we saw her last! Whatever it was she would have had time!”

Chika paced up and down the hall, running her hands through her hair. It was beginning to stick up oddly.

“You’s dad doesn’t get back for another week. Her mom is all alone right now, wouldn’t it help to talk to someone? I don’t understand…”

Riko traced a pattern on her wrist, “I’m sure that the initial shock will pass in a few days, and we’ll get to know. There’s not much we can do right now.”

“We can worry.”

Chika had paused in her endless pacing, her eyes shone in the dark. Riko saw concern, yes. Concern for You and her family, but there was anger. Frustration at the situation, and towards Riko herself. 

“Yes. We can worry.” Riko let the even tone she had carefully cultivated drop. Sometimes you don’t need an even head, you just need someone to worry with.

 

* * *

 

Dia’s parents were talking. This wasn’t anything new, they usually talked. It would be a bad sign if talking was something unusual. No, it wasn’t that talking was odd, it was what they were talking about. 

They spoke in the hushed tones of adults who know something is wrong, and of adults who know there are children around to hear it.

They were talking about fishing. This too was not unusual, the Kurosawa’s owned a fishing business. It had been in the family for generations, and as the oldest child, Dia had started to be included in these discussions.

Which is why this was odd, Dia was not involved.

Dia leaned against the bathroom door and adjusted the vent. She had learned early on that she could spy on her parents this way. 

“...seen anything like it.”

Her mother.

“Two heads? Or the teeth?”

Ah, her father.

“I’ve never seen either of them!”

“It’s not just that though… almost every fish caught in the batch today have had something off about them…”

“We can’t sell them.”

“No, I contacted the authorities, and they say the water’s clean…”

“What else could it be?”

“Dia?”

Dia yelped and shut the grate with a clang. “Be out in a second!”

“Okay!” Her sister called back.

Ruby didn’t need to be concerned about this. Dia moved to run the water, only to hear a tiny clink behind her.

She leaned down to pick up the tiny object. Almost crystalline in nature, the tiny chip of milky white tile reflected the bathroom light.

“Shittttt…” Dia cursed under her breath, hoping Ruby hadn’t heard her. She must’ve broken a tile when she slammed the vent. Dia did what any responsible person did - hid the evidence. The piece was tiny, she couldn’t see any place it could have come from. Dia slipped it into the trashcan and with a shaky breath, opened the door. 

“Don’t forget to brush your teeth!” Dia lectured, as her left hand reached out with a mind of its own and scratched the inside of her right wrist. Must have been a mosquito.

 

* * *

 

Ruby for her part, really didn’t need to be reminded to brush her teeth. Dia had drilled the routine of flossing, rinsing, and brushing deeping into her when she was a child. Which honestly was why Ruby felt so concerned right now.

Opening her mouth wide, she stared into the mirror. Her jaw was starting to ache on her left side. The teeth there constantly rang with a dull pain. She couldn’t see anything in the mirror though. Ruby closed her mouth and grabbed her toothbrush.

She’d gotten cavities before, sure. This felt different. Dia was going to be so mad at her… maybe she could still fix this.

 

* * *

 

Hanamaru woke up to glowing in the middle of the night. A yellow tinge bathed the whole room gold. She blinked her eyes blearily and searched for the sudden light source. The open book on her desk ruffled through its pages. Hanamaru, a generally practical girl who enjoyed her sleep simple responded, “Huh,” and went back to sleep.

 

The next morning her book was closed, with the bookmark in where she had left it. As a skeptical person, Hanamaru decided it was a dream. And that was that.

 

* * *

 

There are several parts to this story, each one in parallel. Each part is important, and it is only with all parts does the story fall together. Dia finds a rock, Ruby’s dental hygiene, the disappearance of a girl, Hanamaru’s dream. 

 

Something odd is happening in Uchiura.

 

I promise it’s all related.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so here we kick off the actual beginning of the story. I'm trying out some new writing techniques this time, please let me know if you think they work. 
> 
> Happy New Years everyone! I'm looking forward to a new story with a new start!


	3. Chapter 2

“It’s so frustrating!”

 

Chika slumped forward onto the table, arms crossed. A scowl creased her face. Riko set a cup of tea down next to her and pulled up a seat. The empty seat in between gaped. 

 

The seat occupied a space, or rather it didn’t. It existed to draw the eye, but no one seemed to be able to look at it for longer than a few seconds. The seat was empty, and with that emptiness came a hole. That is the difference between a chair and a seat. An empty chair may be empty for many reasons, but a seat? A seat belongs to someone, and unlike a chair it is filled by a particular person - whether it’s been assigned or chosen. A seat remains untouched out of respect, and an empty seat… Well, an empty seat means something.

 

In this case, it meant that days had passed. The seat a few days ago had been full. The seat today was empty, and it seemed that it wouldn’t be filled anytime soon.

 

The seats around it were full, and if the empty seat exuded a heavy weight, the full ones gave off an even heavier presence. 

 

Dia sighed, her fingers coming up to massage her temple. “Chika, you know that Mrs. Watanabe doesn’t have to tell us anything.”

 

“I know that!” Chika growled. 

 

“Do you?” Dia snapped. Her wrist itched again, she absentmindedly scratched at it. “Out of all of us, You’s mother is probably the one who is the most worried. Give her some time, be more gentle. You’re badgering her!”

 

“I am not…” Chika whispered, but she looked aside. 

 

“We’re all worried.” Kanan hadn’t said much all day. Not that most of the group had been too noisy. An empty seat does that to people. She fiddled with a pencil in front of her without looking up, “I’m sure she’ll tell us what’s going on when things stabilize.” 

 

Kanan wrenched her gaze up from the table. She sat across from the empty seat. A weak smile forced itself across her face.

 

“Maybe we should call it a day?”

 

* * *

 

The first years went out to eat. None of them were really that hungry, but it seemed wrong just leaving like that. Nothing better to chase out an overhanging bad mood than a good meal. That’s what Hanamaru always believed at least. 

So far it was a mixed success.

 

Ruby seemed out of it, and Yoshiko hadn’t slipped into her fallen angel persona for at least 24 hours. Hanamaru reasoned that it had to be a record. However, despite Yoshiko asking her to keep an eye on her Yohane persona, the deal never meant stamping it out completely - just when it was inappropriate. She could use a bit of Yohane right now.

 

She thought she had a hook.

 

“Do you want to hear about this weird dream I had?” Hanamaru asked, “I thought Yohane could be of some use in figuring it out.”

 

Yoshiko took the bait. She swung her hand up into her signature pose, knocking Ruby out of wherever her head had been. 

 

“Yohane will do anything for her little demons,” she said, winking. Hanamaru somehow kept her eyes from rolling by sheer force of will, but she smiled. There wasn’t much she could do for You or her upperclassmen, but at least she could do something to make the first years more at ease.

 

“Well, I woke up in the middle of the night…”

 

* * *

 

Ruby cowered behind Hanamaru as Yoshiko drew an elaborate circle on Hanamaru’s supposedly haunted floor in chalk.

 

“You’re going to hafta clean that up later…” said Hanamaru with a good natured drawl as she attempted to pry Ruby’s hands from her shoulders. Ruby was not inclined to let go, frankly she thought she had put up with a lot of scary stuff today. She’d stood firm during the dowsing rod, the weird potions (that thankfully Hanamaru had declined to drink), and through the “expert diagnosis” of Yohane that stated that Hanamaru was in fact, not possessed. She’d even joined in during the terrifying chanting!

 

An exorcism was a bit much though. Ruby’s teeth were chattering - which was beginning to cause a flare up of pain. She winced, causing her grip to tighten around Hanamaru’s shoulders. 

 

“Ruby,  are you alright?” Hanamaru finally yanked Ruby around to face her, “You’ve been really distracted lately.”

 

Yoshiko looked up from the floor, and slowly stood. She unfolded with a gangly sort of grace, brushing chalk dust off her knees. She stepped over her spell books to close in on Ruby. 

 

“Is it about You? You two work on costumes together…”

 

Ruby hesitated, she was worried about You-

 

“You’ve been acting strange even before she got sick. Is everything okay?”

 

She could tell them, but it really wasn’t anything compared to You. They didn’t need to worry about her when they already had enough to think about. There was a tiny part of her too, that said they would judge her for being so babyish that she couldn’t even take care of herself properly.

 

Hanamaru and Yoshiko closed in, concern etched in their faces. Hanamaru was making that expression again - the one she always did when she wanted Ruby to tell her something. Mouth screwed up, eyebrows creased, eyes intensely focused. Ruby would give in, she loved Hanamaru, but that girl would not sit there and accept no answer.

 

Fate- if that is indeed what it was - is inconvenient. It doesn’t tend to suffer fools, or stay still for too long. Fate expects things to happen, and although fate could have let this play out and take a very different route, it didn’t. Instead Fate lost patience and decided to push down hard on the throttle of life, careening down the street before taking an abrupt turn down an alleyway. 

 

Anyway, it was an interesting day for Fate.

 

It was also about to get even more interesting for Hanamaru, who up until this point was already having a very unusual day. Her synapses were firing on all cylinders as she stared up at Ruby - more cylinders than usual. Somewhere in Hanamaru’s brain, a brand new connection sparked, ready to stretch its legs. 

 

The spellbook (which was actually a spanish language cookbook Yoshiko had taped a printout spooky binding to) flipped open and scuttled across the floor. It then unceremoniously began to shred itself, pages ripping themselves out before fluttering around to an unstable orbit around Hanamaru. 

 

Yoshiko would have been angry, if she hadn’t been preoccupied with Hanamaru. The girl in question glowed a strange golden light, tinging the room with sunlight warmth, spreading to cover the pages floating around her. Her brown hair drifted around her, as if caught in a wind that did not exist.

 

The room stood suspended. Hanamaru flickered and went out, sending the paper gliding every which way. Ruby -  teeth and worries forgotten - caught Hanamaru as she slumped.

 

“I feel… light headed…”

 

Yoshiko scrambled to her bag, pulling out a lovingly packed thermos of tea - with a very cute post it note from her mother reminding her to stay hydrated. She handed the thermos - note and all - to Hanamaru. She met Ruby’s eyes. 

 

Despite her interests, Yoshiko had never really expected to see anything like this. This type of thing did not exist, and she and everyone else were normal humans. Yet, this… this had happened. Ruby had seen it too, hadn’t she?

 

The look in Ruby’s eyes confirmed it, so did the paper scattered across the room.

 

Yoshiko inhaled shakily, looking at the unsteady girl who was no longer glowing. Hanamaru’s hands trembled, her eyes glazed.

 

Someone had to say it, so it was going to be Yoshiko.

 

“Hanamaru? I think you might be magic.”

 

* * *

 

“Hello?” 

 

The voice on the phone was twisted with nervousness, but it was familiar. Chika took a deep breath.

 

“Hello, Mrs. Watanabe, it’s Chika,” she said. “Sorry to bother you again, but I wanted to apologize.”

 

“A-apologize?” You’s mother was practically a second mom to Chika, but this tone was one Chika had never heard before.

 

“Yes… I’ve been really pushy, I’m sorry.” Chika waited for the woman on the line to say something. When she didn’t, Chika continued. “We’re all worried about You of course, but I didn’t think about how you were feeling. Your husband is still at sea right? If there is anything my family can do to help…”

 

“Ah, thank you. Please don’t worry, things are alright here.”

 

“Are you sure? I can bring You’s homework over at the least…”

 

“No!” Chika yelped and held the phone out from her ear. Riko motioned for her to change it to speaker.

 

“No, that won’t be necessary. You will catch up later.”

 

“Later? Is she doing okay then?” Chika knew she had an opening. 

 

Dead air blossomed.

 

“You will be hospitalized for a while. Homework isn’t really on the list of concerns.”

 

“Oh. Okay.” She should ask. No, she shouldn’t ask. This call was supposed to be an apology and check in, not digging for information. Chika knew she shouldn’t go further, but this was the first time she had gotten to talk to Mrs. Watanabe for longer than a few seconds.

 

“Uh, You said her back hurt. Y’know, before she got… sick?” Chika sighed, this was going to be mean, but it was her ultimate trap card. “We’ve been working so hard for Love Live, did we- did we cause this?”

 

Chika was fully aware that whatever this was had nothing to do with practices, but if there is one way to get information out of a mother, it’s to play the sad child.

 

“Oh sweetie no,” You’s mother said, the voice Chika had known forever starting to creep back to its normal sound. “No, I promise.”

 

Chika leaned in, information buzzed just on the other end of the line. You’s mother hesitated.

 

“It was… scoliosis. Uh, unrelated. She’ll just be in the hospital for a few months and get everything fixed.”

 

Before Chika could ask anymore, a sharp inhale tinged with horror cut through the call. Chika concentrated, trying to hear the soft whisper.

 

“...oh, that was a mistake.”

 

Mrs. Watanabe hung up.

 

Chika turned to give Riko an incredulous look, “she hung up me!”

 

She laid the phone down on the table, and scooted closer to Riko. The other girl nervously nibbled on a fingernail.

 

“You probably shouldn’t call again.” Riko said. Chika nodded in agreement. The both stared at the phone, neither moving.

 

“That was weird right? The end part?” Chika whispered. Beside her, Riko nodded.

 

“She seemed scared… like she wasn’t supposed to tell us anything.” Riko replied.

 

Chika shook her head, “I don’t know much about medical stuff, but I did do some research. Scoliosis popped up when I looked up You’s symptoms, but it wouldn’t be the reason she vanished right? And she wouldn’t have to be in the hospital for months?” 

 

Riko winced at the earnest eyes, Chika seemed to think Riko knew everything. Riko didn’t feel like she knew much of anything.

 

“I don’t think so?” Riko said, reaching for her own phone, “I’m sorry Chika, I’m not a doctor...”

 

“That’s okay,” something about Chika’s tone made Riko stop scrolling through the wikipedia article. She looked up, Chika had an odd look on her face. This was a look that before had brought Riko some sort of comfort, one that usually meant that Chika had a - usually exhausting - idea. It was that spark in her eyes, the one that formed when a plan did.

 

“Maybe we can just ask one.”

 

* * *

 

Sometimes fantastical things happen despite unhappy times, sometimes plans are made and schemes are hatched. Sometimes miracles occur and bonds that will never be broken are forged, and the seeds of rebellion are spread. Sometimes there is comfort and romance and-

 

And sometimes it is mundane. 

 

Dia was worried about You of course. She scratched her itchy arm as she leaned against the bathroom wall again. They all were, and to imply that someone was less anxious even if they were not running around badgering people was insensitive. Dia was worried, and for her that meant normalcy. Someone had to keep a cool head, and someone had to give a sense of steadiness. 

 

That someone was Dia, and that meant throwing herself full force at this fish problem. Sure, it was a distraction to her creeping anxiety, and the fish didn’t feel that important now that You was just gone. But for some reason she couldn’t let it go, something was really wrong here. The fish, her parents lying, You disappearing without a word. She was unsettled.

 

“Ow!”

 

Dia looked down to see specks of blood. It was just a tiny bit, she had scratched off a scab without noticing. Where had the scab come from though? She’d been so itchy lately, Dia was starting to think she had some sort of skin condition.

 

Well, she was in the bathroom. Dia opened the bathroom mirror and began to look for some skin cream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay my friends, it has been a tiring few weeks. I'm back though, and hopefully will be more regular with updates. This chapter is really the one that sets all the pieces in some sort of motion - it's a real relief to get through it. I think I have a problem though - I've read at least 12 discworld books in the past few months and now I keep trying to make serious things funny... whoops. If anyone knows how to get a beta read who will slap me upside the head when I start a rambly joke please let me know.
> 
> In other news, I've seen the love live sunshine movie twice and y'all. It's so good. Soooo goooood. When it comes out in your region definitely go see it. I'll keep this work mostly spoiler free, but maybe I'll try to work in a certain character later on in the story.
> 
> Also because the movie poured gasoline on my love of Chikariko, I've determined that will be one of the ships in here for sure. but once again, ships is not a focus in this story. This is not a love story - at least not that kind.
> 
> Forgot to mention, but I'll be doing chapter doodles on my twitter @narudoodles whenever I post a new chapter (hopefully). The first one is already up! Go ahead and check them out if you want.


	4. Chapter 3

Now, while the many events of the last chapter spiraled on, you may have noticed that a few of our cast members did not appear. Perhaps this may make it seem that nothing important happened to them, however, this was indeed not the case. While the others were hatching plans, reevaluating their view of reality, or sitting in bathrooms, Mari and Kanan were in fact doing something. Something that maybe isn’t that particularly interesting in comparison, but it  _ is _ relevant.

 

Mari was reading. 

 

Though Mari didn’t always look like it, she did take her job as chairwoman seriously. So as it happens, on this night - as she did for many of them - Mari had stayed up late to review the dry, boring documents that only served to continuously reinforce the hopelessness of the school's position.

 

Not the most exciting way to spend an evening, but hey - she had signed up for it.

 

This time, what Mari was reading was not doomsday PTA report. Normally that would be a reason for joy. Unfortunately what she was reading was worse. It was a leave of absence form. 

 

Mari’s forehead creased. Mrs. Watanabe had filed it earlier in the day, stating that You would be taking an “undetermined amount of time off for medical reasons.” The reasons were not expanded on. 

She threw the paper down on the table and pinched at her temple. What was she supposed to do at this point? As the chairwoman this was her responsibility, but how the hell was she supposed to just calmly process this? You was her friend. She had a soft spot for this dumbass kid - after some of the events of the summer, Mari felt responsible for her in a way.

 

Something dug at her brain. There was - something - that she was forgetting. What was it?

 

Mari rubbed her temples. She was working too hard, things were starting to slip past her. That  was bad, she had asked for this position and her father would not be happy if she couldn’t-

 

With a loud hum, followed by a bright pop, every light bulb in her room exploded.

 

Mari shrieked before falling off her couch with all the grace of a bird that has hit a skyscraper window. Which is to say - none at all.

 

As she pulled herself up from the floor in her dark room, Mari could hear the shouts from the staff in the hotel. Chaotic voices mixed together into a blurred hum. She shook her head. Outside the window she could see lights blazing all down the beach.The power surge must have only hit the hotel. Did they not have protection in place for that?  _ Dad must be skimping out _ , Mari thought mirthlessly.  _ The cheapskate. _

 

That was it, her nerves were officially rattled. No more work would be done tonight. Mari padded over to her balcony and pulled out her phone, taking comfort in the light from the screen. She felt better already, less jittery. She dialed Dia first, but got no answer. Kanan it was! 

 

The phone rang twice, before the Kanan’s mellow voice drifted through it.

 

“Hello, Mari?”

 

“Kanaaaan,” Mari drawled. “I need you to calm my delicate nerves, I have been shaken to my absolute core!”

 

“Okay.” Kanan said, not daunted by theatrics. “What happened?”

 

“All the light bulbs burst!”

 

“Wow. Is everyone okay?”

 

“Aren’t you supposed to ask if  _ I’m  _ okay?”

 

“Sure,” Kanan forged bravely onward. “Huh, wow. The hotel is completely dark.”

 

“That’s what I’ve been saying!”

 

“Yeah, but honestly I thought you were exaggerating.”

 

Mari gasped in indignation, “Rude! I would never!”

 

The other end was silent.

 

“Okay  _ fine. _ ” Mari grumbled, already feeling in much higher spirits. “Dia would have believed me.”

 

“Probably not.”

 

Mari laughed. Across the connection, Kanan grinned. She laughed, and then coughed.

 

“You okay?”

“Hmm.” Mari heard the sounds of a faucet. “Just been really thirsty lately.”

 

“Well, you have been doing a lot of exercise. Stay hydrated, okay?”

 

“Will do.” Kanan sighed. “Thanks for calling Mari, it’s been a rough couple days. It’s good to hear your voice.”

 

“Anytime.”

 

And so, as is often the case. The goodbye extended later and later into the night in touching ways. Ah, to be youthful with no regards to waking up in the morning. 

 

The fact of the matter is that Mari  _ was _ forgetting something. Her brain had made a connection and had been trying to tell her something, before being rudely interrupted by a sudden surge of power. She would remember it later, but not until someone else had already figured it out.

 

In a filing cabinet, just under a few days worth of paper levels lay another leave of absence form.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The funk over the idol club showed no signs of dissipating the next day either. Rather than wanting to stay in the club room and work on incomplete formations, everyone seemed to have made plans already. No one wanted to be alone, but no one really wanted to be together either.

 

Hanamaru was disappointed. She’d been hoping to tell them about the new discovery she’d made, but everyone had dashed out so quickly. She honestly had thought that giving them something to work on together may have lifted spirits a bit.

 

“Are you  _ nuts _ !” Yoshiko yelped, eyebrows shooting towards her hairline. “You can’t tell anyone about this! What if they’re working for the government!”

 

“Um,” Hanamaru was at a loss. “That seems unlikely.”

 

“What about Dia? She’s shady.”

 

“Hey!” Ruby trudged behind them, looking crestfallen. “She’s not shady.”

 

Yoshiko backpedaled furiously, trying to calm down the distraught Ruby. Normally Hanamaru would have been in the thick of it. Today though, she ignored it and continued to climb up the steps to her temple. Not many people came up here, where else would be better to practice?

 

Thoughts swirled in her head. Hanamaru was really trying to make everyone feel better, but it wasn’t working. She couldn’t do much else - not sew or choreograph or song write, not that anyone seemed to be that interested in doing that right now - but even so, she wanted to at least do this. But she was getting the feeling she wasn’t too good at this either.

 

This magic thing? Was way too much. Wouldn’t this suit someone like Yoshiko so much better? She was so plain, hardly one to glow and move things where she wanted.  _ Maybe yesterday had just  been a weird fluke… caused by…  _ Hanamaru wracked her brain. No logical reason came forth. Ah well. They’d settle it today anyway.

 

They were here. Hanamaru turned around to check in on the other two. Ruby looked way happier. She was eating a piece of candy. Hanamaru raised an eyebrow and looked and Yoshiko, who looked away and tucked a small plastic bag into her pocket.

 

The bag said in brightly written permanent marker,  _ Share with your friends! _ A large heart was drawn next to it. Underneath was written,  _ Mom. _

 

Yoshiko’s mother was adorable. Which is probably why Yoshiko frequently pretended she didn’t exist.

 

She shivered a bit. “Can we get this over with?” 

 

Yoshiko blinked, “I thought you were excited? Don’t you like books about stuff like this?”

 

“Yes. Emphasis on books.” Hanamaru shrugged. “I don’t see why I have to keep this a secret from our friends.”

 

Surprisingly, Ruby was the one who spoke up.

 

“Well, I’m not a weird conspiracy nut like Yoshiko-” 

 

“Hey!”

 

“But, it’s probably better to wait for a while. Just until you can figure out what you can handle on your own. Right?” Ruby gave a small smile. Then winced. 

 

Hanamaru’s eyes narrowed. Ruby was hiding something. The girl in question pushed past her to drop her bag under a tree. 

 

“Should we get started?”

 

Hanamaru wanted to reach out, to push Ruby into telling her what was wrong. However with the way things were going, she wasn’t sure the other girl would talk to her. She made a mental note to contact Dia.

 

Yohane chuckled to herself, “I’ve been doing a ton of research on telekinesis. Don’t worry Zuramaru, I’ve got you covered.”

At those last words, she threw her arm over Maru’s shoulders.

 

Hanamaru hummed a tuneless reply. She studied her fingernails.

 

“Everything okay?”

 

“Huh? Oh, yes.” She paused, “I just don’t really know how to get my brain to do this.”

 

“That’s totally fine! Today we’re gonna figure it out!” Yoshiko said, with all the confidence of a girl who’s idea of research was watching Star Wars.

 

 

* * *

 

Nothing was happening.

 

Of course things  _ were  _ happening, there is never a stretch of time where absolutely  _ nothing  _ happens. It’s just that what they wanted to happen wasn’t happening.

 

Hanamaru wiggled her fingers, trying to stretch her palms even closer to the small rock. Her face scrunched in on itself.

 

Nothing.

 

“Maybe the rock is too heavy?” Suggested Ruby. 

 

“Hrrrrrrrggghhhhh,” eloquently replied Hanamaru.

 

Yoshiko knelt down by the pebble. She peered at it. “Maybe?”

 

She straightened, “There’s none of the glowing though. Even if it was too heavy, shouldn’t Zuramaru be glowing?”

 

If Hanamaru concentrated anymore her face would fold into itself.

 

“Maybe the sun is too bright?”

 

Hanamaru was turning blue.

 

“Okay, STOP STOP!” Yoshiko waved her arms erratically in front of the girl, breaking her concentration. Hanamaru let out a gasp and slowly sank to the floor.

 

“...guess,” her chest heaved. “Guess… it was just a hallucination.” With that great effort, she flopped onto her back.

 

“We all saw it though, I don’t think that’s how hallucinations work.”

 

Maru sighed. “I know.”

Ruby walked over to join them on the ground. She reached over and grabbed Hanamaru’s hand. “We can stop.”

 

“I think we should.” Yoshiko looked at her watch. “Oh NO! It’s almost dinner time, my mom is gonna kill me!”

 

At Yoshiko’s outburst, Hanamaru sat bolt upright. As the air tightened around them, Hanamaru’s hair to flutter. A low glow, much like a flashlight with a dying battery sputtered on and off around Hanamaru before fading out completely. A tiny trickle of blood oozed out her left nostril. Ruby whipped out a handkerchief (courtesy of Dia) and pressed it to Hanamaru’s nose. 

 

“Did the rock move?” Yoshiko tripped over her own feet trying to get up. Sprawling in the dirt, she gave up on standing and dragged herself over to the rock. It was still where they had placed it.

 

“Hmmm, maybe it  _ was  _ too heavy,” Yoshiko mused. “Or maybe it’s not telekinesis?”

 

Hanamaru removed Ruby’s handkerchief, and probed her nose gently with her index finger. The bleeding had stopped. “Thanks Ruby, I’ll wash this for you.”

 

“Oh! It’s no problem. I have plenty more…”

 

Ruby stopped. Her bag had flipped open, strewing its contents across the ground. All the crumpled paper in her bag had exploded over the base of the tree.

 

“Ah…”

 

Yoshiko turned. “Well, I guess something moved.”

 

Slowly, the three began to pick up the litter.

 

 

* * *

 

Ruby knocked on the bathroom door.

 

“Dia, are you okay in there? It’s been a long time…”

 

It had been an hour, actually. Dia had been spending way too much time in the bathroom, and Ruby knew what that meant. Dia was spying. Oh, she pretended not to know that, but Ruby had also heard her parents talking through the grate. 

 

Inside the bathroom Dia brushed against something. Ruby could hear a weird scratching noise and the metallic clang of the grate closing. Finally, the door opened.

 

Dia appeared, brushing her hair over a shoulder. “Hello Ruby.”

 

She was sweating, the skin on her wrists and neck looked patchy and red. Dia tucked a notebook under her arm. Slowly she edged down the hallway. 

 

For a moment Ruby wanted to press it, but she decided against it. There was something more immediate that she needed to do.

 

The bathroom stunk of aloe vera. Ruby wrinkled her nose and moved over to the mirror. She’d stayed quiet today. That hadn’t been very hard, with what was going on with Hanamaru, Ruby felt very much out of her element. Of course her teeth hurt, that was unchanging, Today though, she had come to an extraordinarily unpleasant conclusion. They were loose. When she’d bit into the candy Yoshiko had given her, she’d noticed it. 

 

Ruby leaned into the mirror, trying not to fog the surface. Gingerly, she touched the most painful tooth with her finger, just barely moving it. It flared in pain, causing her eyes to tear up. Through her watery vision, Ruby could tell though.

 

It wiggled.

 

 

* * *

 

“Chika, I don’t know if this is a good idea.” Riko said, awkwardly tugging at the hem of her uniform. 

 

“Eh? It’s fine. I know Dr. Inui super well. He always used to patch You and I up after we did something stupid. This is definitely where she would go!” Chika grinned, clearly taken with her brilliant flash of logic.

 

“I don’t doubt you, but really… isn’t this… illegal?” Riko hissed. 

 

Chika shrugged, pushing the door to the small clinic open. “I don’t know. Maybe. Who cares!”

 

Riko groaned, then followed her into the building. “I do!”

 

“Ahhhhh, this place brings back memories,” Chika said, swapping her outdoor shoes for a pair of scruffy slippers provided by the clinic. “I remember we came here after I broke You’s nose playing baseball. And the time she broke her arm falling out of a tree. And the time You glued-”

 

“I’m sensing a pattern here,” Riko said suspiciously. 

 

Chika just hummed in response. The light tone contrasted the wild look in her eyes. There was a jerkiness to her movements, like a marionette cut loose.

 

“Have you been sleeping?”

 

“Huh? Oh, yeah.” Chika scratched her cheek. “Just not well.”

 

Riko had suspected as much. She herself had felt very jittery lately, waking up suddenly sometimes. Every time she did, Riko had noticed the other girl across the balcony. Awake.

 

“Okay. Fine. Let’s see if the doctor can help us.”

 

“Help with what?”

 

Riko jumped. A man in a white lab coat appeared beside them. Slightly unshaven. About as scruffy as the provided slippers.

 

“What’s this? Chika in my clinic? Without dragging an injured You?” His patchy eyebrows wrinkled in mock horror. “Unless this young lady is your new victim?”

 

“Hey! Sometimes I’m the injured one,” Chika pouted. Then she extended a hand. “This is my.... friend… Riko. She moved here recently.”

 

“Ah a friend…” The man reached over the empty reception counter and slowly pulled out a multicolored pamphlet with several smiling couples on it out of a receptacle. Riko could make out the title peeking over the rim of the counter.  _ Safe Sex and You! _

 

“That’s not why we’re here!” Riko yelped. The doctor shrugged and slid the pamphlet back into its holder.

 

“We’re here about You.” Chika said.

 

“What did she do now?” The tone was light enough, but he  _ was  _ a doctor and the question  _ was _ serious.

 

“Well… we were hoping you could tell us…” Chika gave him a winning smile. “She came here recently right? We haven’t seen her since…”

 

“Kid. You know I can’t discuss patients with you.” He frowned. “You said you haven’t seen her?”

 

“No. We’re just worried. You don’t have to tell us specifics. We just want to visit, and her mother is so busy we haven’t been able to ask which hospital-”

 

The doctor shook his head. He motioned to the waiting room chairs, then sat himself. For a moment, he wrestled with himself.

 

“I understand why you’re concerned,” he mused. A battle played out on his face. “Poor kid, must have been serious.”

 

Chika watched patiently. She had been to Dr. Inui many times. Chika already knew what side would win.

 

“Okay fine. She came here, but she needed more tests. I referred her to the main hospital, you know the one right?” 

 

Riko scribbled furiously on a pad of paper.

 

“That’s all you’re getting.” He sighed. “You should leave.”

 

“Thank you so much Dr. Inui, we’ll make sure to write your name on the card we give her-”

 

“Is the doctor here?” A slim man in a suit stood at the entrance. He was nondescript, in a calculated sort of way. The carefully cultivated kind designed not to stick in your mind but nonetheless does. He gazed impassionately at the three of them.

 

“I have something to talk to you about.”

 

Pressure buzzed at the forefront of Riko’s skull. She rubbed her temple to get rid of the headache, which of course is not how headaches work. Something about the man and his briefcase troubled her. 

 

“We’ll let you go. Thank you so much.” Chika rose from her chair with a start, and yanked Riko with her to the door. Before they left, Riko looked back. Instinct told her to. She knew she wouldn’t remember his face, but she would remember him. She had to.

 

“That worked better than expected,” Chika said, looking up at the lazily darkening sky. “Should we try to go tomorrow?”

 

“Sure,” said Riko. “I think we should.” 

 

She looked into the parking lot, at the strange black car that was parked there. Against all logic, Riko rubbed her forehead again, hoping that it would do something. It didn’t. 

 

The two set off towards the bus stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for the long delay. A lot has happened since I posted last. Work has been pretty busy, but I've also done some travelling. I visited Hakodate and got to check out a lot of the places from the anime. It was a really fun time and the food was amazing!
> 
> The clinic is based off one I went to in Japan. They do actually provide slippers at the family clinics, the one I went to had them come out of a weird cleaning vending machine. It was... interesting.
> 
> I'm still not sure how I feel about the writing style, but I think it's too late to change now.


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